Penn State Football: Barbir Still In Mix With Kicking Duties

It’s a slight wrinkle but Penn State coach James Franklin announced on Tuesday that placekicker Tyler Davis will be taking over both field goal and kickoff duties this season following the departure of Joey Julius.

While this may not make a huge difference in the outcome of the season, it is a departure from Franklin’s previous philosophy, one that had a different kicker focusing on both kickoffs and field goals.

Enter one Alex Barbir, Penn State’s sophomore placekicker who was one of the first specialists to receive a scholarship under Franklin in the post-sanction era.

So will he see the field?

Maybe. As always, kicking is a matter of strength and consistency. 

‘Yes.’ Franklin said with a smile after practice on Wednesday when asked about which of the two things Barbir needed to work on.

‘In Tyler’s defense, he doesn’t want to specialize,’ Franklin added. ‘He wants to show that he can do all those things. But, for us as a staff, when you can have guys specialize and focus on one thing, they can maximize their role.’

If Barbir does see the field in 2017 it might be the result of some creative musical chairs. In turn Davis won’t have too much on his plate and Barbir will have some game experience. something that will come in handy after Davis graduates, leaving Penn State potentially without a placekicker with any playing time.

‘We’ve even toyed with the fact that, to take some of it off Tyler’s plate, that you go every other kickoff, and you kind of do that for a little while until someone takes control of it,’ Franklin added. ‘Right now, it’s Tyler. I’d love to get it where we could get Barbir involved.’

‘I’d like to be able to get in that situation where you have guys specialize,’ Franklin said.